Witness: Byrd admits Bookal slaying

GOSHEN — Cory Byrd is a Blood who admitted in jail to killing 4-year-old Marc Bookal, a self-professed gang member testified on Thursday in Orange County Court.

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By HEATHER YAKIN

recordonline.com

By HEATHER YAKIN

Posted Jan. 20, 2012 at 2:00 AM

By HEATHER YAKIN
Posted Jan. 20, 2012 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

GOSHEN — Cory Byrd is a Blood who admitted in jail to killing 4-year-old Marc Bookal, a self-professed gang member testified on Thursday in Orange County Court.

Byrd, 32, is on trial on murder, manslaughter and evidence-tampering charges in the Dec. 14, 2009, disappearance and death of his then-girlfriend's son, Marc. Marc was home sick, alone with Byrd, when he disappeared.

The witness, known on the street as "Kastro," is serving prison time for violating parole on an attempted-robbery conviction. Kastro said he talked to Byrd in early 2010 while they were both on the same unit in Orange County Jail.

Kastro said he'd heard of Byrd through the Blood prison grapevine as "Kasino," but he'd never seen him before they meet at Orange County Jail. He said they socialized, playing the card game casino for packets of soup.

As a high-ranking member of a Bronx Blood set, Kastro said he was entitled to question Byrd, a lower-ranked "two star." He asked why Byrd was in jail. Byrd, he said, told him he was being held for endangering the welfare of a child.

Kastro said he asked for more information and that Byrd told him he'd been ordered by a guy he owed drug money to kill everyone in his house to get the money or face death himself.

"He told me he killed the little boy, whose name was Marc, because he was easy access," Kastro said.

Assistant District Attorney Karen Edelman-Reyes asked Kastro for his reaction.

"I didn't want to talk to him no more," Kastro said. "Being Blood, you don't kill no little kids. That's not part of — that's a no-go."

Kastro said he's been threatened for testifying. Cooperating is strictly forbidden by the gang code. He said a threatening letter was sent to his wife's home, threats were sent to a prison, and threats have made their way to him even in involuntary protective custody.

Byrd's lawyer, Joseph Brown, hammered at Kastro's motives. "You expected to get a deal out of it, didn't you?"

"I did it because it was a defenseless little kid who didn't deserve to die," Kastro replied.

Brown asked about a Dec. 29 letter where Kastro told prosecutors "there's only one way I'm going to testify, and that's with a date to go home."

Kastro said he was upset over threats. He added, "I didn't get no deal." He got a letter from prosecutors to parole saying he cooperated.